1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of decomposing organic matter in wastewater by means of the action of specific microorganisms and more specifically, a biological process for treating organic wastewater with the use of aluminum hydroxide films.
2. Description of Related Art
For treating a particular wastewater, e.g. domestic or sanitary sewage, livestock waste, and industrial runoff, which contains a substantial amount of organic matter (and is thus referred to as organic wastewater), a variety of methods have been proposed including physio-chemical treatment and biological treatment. The activated sludge process is more widely used as the most common biological treatment than any physiochemical treatment for treating such organic wastewater having high BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand).
The activated sludge process comprises raising bacteria in an organic wastewater, decomposing organic matter by the action of the bacteria, and settling the bacteria to a form of adhesive floc to obtain a clear supernatant water.
Although the activated sludge process is effective for treating the organic wastewater, it requires a sizable system or facility for real operation. Also, highly condensed wastewater (more than 2,000 ppm of BOD) has to be diluted with a large amount of water before the treatment. The removal of sludge produced by the treatment has to be repeated a considerable number of times, thus increasing the overall cost. Furthermore, the activated sludge process produces unpleasant odors which may cause a public nuisance.